Draw-bar-supporting mechanism.



N 3 Patented Feb. l3, I900.

J. A. YERK.

DRAW BAR SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1599.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheat l.

mwwmw am THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PNOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. n. c.

No. 643,3!5. Patentedfeb. 13, I900. J. A. YERK.

DRAW BAR SUPPORTING MECHANISM. (Applicatioxi filed Aug. a, 1899. (NoModel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

THE scams PEYERS ca, PHOTO-LITHCL, WAsHlNGTON, DV 0 Nu. 643,3I5.Patented Fab. I3, I900.

J. A. YERK.

DRAW BAR SUPPORTING MECHANlSM.

(Application filed Aug. 8 1599.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

ma NORRIS PETRS CO.. PHOTO-L|YHO., wAsmNnToN, n. c

A Mr TATES JOHN A. YERK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE IULLMANSPALACE CAR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DRAW-BAR-SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,315, dated February13, 1900.

Application filed August 8,1 8 9 9.

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN A. YERK, of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDraw-Bar-Supportin g Mech-' anism, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to draw-bar-supporting mechanism, and has for itsobject to provide a construction whereby the wear upon the draw-bararising from its lateral'motion upon its support when in use maybereduced, while at the same time the draw-bar will be yieldingly held inits normal position and returned to that position after lateral displacement.

To this and other ends my invention consists in certain novel featureswhich I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly pointout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, partlyinsection, of a drawbar, carry-iron, and saddle embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the structure shown inFigs. 1 and 2, the draw-bar being shown in place. Fig. 4B is a frontelevation of a modified form of my invention, illustrating one mode ofattaching the device to a car-body. Fig. 5 isa side elevation of thesame. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4:, illustrating a modified formof the saddle shown in Fig. 4, and also illustrating the adjustment ofthe saddle. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of the saddle shown in Fig. 4detached. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the. springuide detached; Fig.9, a plan view of the same, and Fig. 10 a plan view of the key detached.

In draft-gear as ordinarily constructed the draw-bar is free to movelaterally to a limited extent atits outer end and is supported so as topermit this movement by means of a carryiron or stirrup, upon which itdirectly rests. The friction between the carry-iron and drawbar resultsin wear which tends to weaken and destroy the parts, and therebyrequires frequent renewal of the draw-bar at consid erable expense. Myinvention has in view more particularly the obviating of thesedisadvantages, and in carrying out my inven- $eria1N0. 726,519. (Nomodel.)

tion I em ploy, in conjunction with a carry-iron or stirrup, aspring-controlled saddle or yoke mounted and traveling on saidcarry-iron and provided with the horizontal supporting portions 2, bymeans of which it is suitably connected to the draft-timbers or otherportion of the car-body, the vertical portions 3, and the horizontalbearing portion at. Upon this carry-iron is mounted to slidelongitudinally thereof a saddle or yoke 5, comprising a baseplate 6, onwhich the draw-bar may rest and which in turn rests upon the carry-iron,said saddle being provided with a vertical flange 7 at each end, andsaid flanges and base-plate 6 forming a seat which receives and holdsthe draw-bar. The vertical flanges 7 are preferably rounded on theirinner faces, as shown, to permit the angular relation of the draw-barrelatively thereto to change without causing binding between the parts.The saddle 5 is provided with downwardly-extending flanges 8, located oneach side of the horizontal bearing portion 4 of the carry-iron andpreventing lateral displacement of the saddle and carry-iron relativelyto each other. Such lateral displacement is still further prevented bythe provision of vertical flanges 9, arranged parallel to each other andat right angles to the vertical flanges 7 and adapted to receive betweenthem the vertical portions 3 of the carry-iron when the saddle is movedlaterally. It Willbe understood, of course, that the bedplate 6, andconsequently the distance between the vertical flanges 7, is smallerthan the distance between the vertical parts 3 of thecarry-iron, so asto permit lateral movement of the saddle relatively to the car-body,

or, in other words, longitudinal movement of the saddle relatively tothe carry-iron.

In order to hold the saddle and draw-bar normallyin proper position, Iem ploya spring or springs acting on the saddle for this purpose andtending to restore the saddle to its normal position when displaced. Inthe construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I employ for this purpose asingle spring 10, although a plurality of springs may be employed, aswill hereinafter appear. To support this spring, I provide on the underside of the carry-iron 1 a stirrup 11, having vertical arms 12, (shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1,) provided with on twardly-bent extremities13, by which the stirrup is secured to the under side of the carry-iron,the vertical arms being connected bya cross-bar 14. A guide pin or bolt15 extends longitudinally through the stirrup,passin g through thevertical end pieces 12 thereof, and the spring 10 is coiled around thisguidepin. At each end of the guide-pin there is mounted thereon athrust-plate 16, having an aperture, through which the guide-pin passes,and a boss 17, which extends into and centers and supportsthe adjacentend of the spring 10. These thrust-plates are guided between thecross-bar 4 of the carry-iron and the corresponding cross-bar 14 of thestirrup and extend laterally beyond the same, as indicated in Fig. 3,the saddle being provided with shoulders 18, against which the edges ofthe thrust-plates bear. To this end the lateral flanges 6 of the saddleare extended downward, so as to inclose the thrust-plates and theiroperating-spring and supporting devices, these extensions beingindicated by the numeral 19, so that all these parts of the mechanismare covered and protected.

In practice the draw-bar, which is indicated at 20 in Fig. 3, is placedin the seat formed between the bed-plate 6 and the vertical flanges 7,and when any lateral strain is placed upon the draw-bar, so as to movethe same, the saddle will move along with the draw-bar, which will bearagainst one or the other of the vertical flanges 7. Thus all wear whichoccurs will be between the bed-plates 6 and the carry-iron, and thedraw-bar will be protected from such wear. When the saddle isspring-controlled, as in the construction shown and described, thesaddle and the draw-bar carried by it will be automatically returned totheir normal position after displacement in an obvious manner.

In the construction just described the saddle is adapted for use inconnection with a draw-bar of which the neck or thatportion which lieswithin the saddle is normally central relatively to the other parts ofthe device. It is frequently the case, however, that drawbars areemployed where this portion lies either on one side or the other of thecentral line of the device, and it is also sometimes de-.

drawings I have shown a construction which is adapted to receive any oneof these types of draw-bars and to be adjusted so as to properly supportand guide eitheracentral drawbar or one the neck of whichlies eitherto'the right or to the left of the central line. In this constructionthe carry-iron is substantiallyi'dentical with that already described,except that it is of greater length. The saddle is also of aconstruction similar to that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; but there isprovided in its lower portion a series of transverse apertures 21,extending through the depending flanges 6 19. In Figs. 4 and 7 threesuch apertures are shown, while in Fig. 6 two are shown. Instead ofemploying a single spring 10 I employ two similar springs 22, and Iprovide upon the guide-pin 15 a sliding sleeve 23, having acentering-block 24, against which the inner ends of the springs 22 bear.The centering-block 24 has an aperture or keyway 25, and the saddle 5may be so moved that any one of its apertures 21 may be caused toregister with the aperture 25 of the centering-block,'whereupon thecentering-block and saddle may be united by means of a key 26, passingthrough the registering apertures of both parts. The centering-blockbeing normally held in a central position by means of the springs 22, itis obvious that the saddle may be so set relatively to thecentering-block that its seat may be either central, as indicated inFig. 4, or may lie upon one side or other of the center, as indicated infull and dotted lines in Fig. 6, so that the particular form shown inFigs. 4 and 5 may be so adj usted as to receive any one of the threetypes of draw-bars mentioned, while that shown in Fig. 6 may be adjustedto receive a draw-bar lying on either one side or the other of thecentral line.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my self strictly to theprecise details of construction hereinbefore described, and shown in thedrawings, as it is obvious that these details may be modified withoutdeparting from the principle of my invention.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a laterally-movable draw-bar and acarry-iron, of a saddle interposed between the draw-bar and carry iron,longitudinally movable on the latter and adapted to engage and move withthe drawbar to prevent wear of the draw-bar on the carry-iron,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a laterally-movable draw-bar and a carry-iron,of a movable saddle on which the draw-bar rests, said saddle beingadapted to slide on and be guided by the carry-iron and being providedwith a seat to receive and engage the draw-bar, whereby said saddlemoves with the drawbar and prevents wear between it and the carry-iron,substantially as described.

3. The combination, witha laterally-movable draw-bar and a carry-iron,of a saddle longitudinally movable on the carry iron, comprising abed-plate, downwardly-extending flanges between which the carry-ironfits, and upwardly extending flanges between which the draw-bar fits,whereby the saddle moves with the draw-bar between it and the ITOcarry-iron and prevents Wear of the draw-bar, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination, with a laterally-movable draw-bar and a carry-iron,of a springcontrolled saddle interposed between the draw-bar and thecarry-iron and adapted to slide longitudinally with the carry-iron andto engage and move with the draw-bar, Whereby the draw-bar is held inand returned to its normal position and wear of the draw-barcentering-block with which the saddle may be adjustably connected tovary its normal position relatively to the central line of the device,and springs for holding the centeringblock normally in a centralposition and for returning the same to said position when displaced,substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a carry-iron having a depending stirrup, aguide-pin, a contering-block movable thereon, and springs for normallycentering said block, said block being provided with a keyway oraperture, of a saddle longitudinally movable on the carryiron, adaptedto engage the draw-bar, and provided with a plurality of transverseapertures, and a key passing through the apertures of the saddle andcentering-block to adjustably connect the same, substantially asdescribed.

JOHN A. YERK.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK C. GOODWIN, ADA H. BARNES.

